What is Jailbreak?

Technical Definition of Jailbreak:

The iPhone and iPod touch hack that allow users to gain access to the entire Unix filesystem. In Unix terms, this refers to changing the root of the directory tree to /.

Understandable Definition of Jailbreak:

A hack that gains access to areas of the iPhone or iPod Touch that users aren’t supposed to mess with. Typically, this is an immediate prelude to either installing cool programs, unlocking the handset for use with another cellular network, or both.

Through jailbreaking, you are able to add additional applications to your iPhone or iPod Touch. It allows you to do so by adding an application called Cydia (firmware 2.x) or Installer (firmware 1.1.4 and below) to your iPhone or iPod Touch. It also also modding (changing) of your iPhone/iPod Touch application icons, wallpaper, dock, status bar, chat bubbles, weather backgrounds, keyboard….etc. For more information on the Cydia or Installer applications, see our f.a.q page.

Disclaimer: Jailbreaking may void your warranty. However, you can always recover the Jailbreaked iPhone to the official version, so nobody can tell whether your iPhone is jailbreaked before.

Jailbreaking is not unlocking! It is risk free. Everything that works before jailbreaking continues to work after. Jailbreaking only adds features. Jailbreaking is risk free and cannot void your warranty. You can simply restore in iTunes at anytime to get back to a factory state. You are not alone, many people are doing it. Several hundred thousand people are jailbreaking!

Why Jailbreak your iPhone or iPod Touch?

When you first hear about the ability to jailbreak your iPhone and you are probably thinking, “Why should I do this? Well, the two main reasons are to allow programs to run that Apple doesn’t approve of and to customize your device.

The following are some cool programs that you can only get from a Jailbreaked iPhone.

Cycorder

Cycorder is a free full featured video recorder for iPhone. Turn your iPhone into a mini camcorder. The quality is ok at 15 fps with sound. The recordings are stored in mjpeg compression codec so they can be played back on a computer. (Not allowed in AppStore).

MxTube

MxTube is a free application allows you to watch the high resolution YouTube video and download them to you iPhone, so that you don't have to do streaming again later on. For more details, read my MxTube review.

Backgrounder

There are severe limitations imposed on AppStore apps. One of these is “no background processes.” This means that if you have an app, such as an instant messenger app, every time you press home to go to something else, the app is closed out. You are disconnected. You get no messages, no notification, nothing.

Backgrounder is an attempt to fix this. Backgrounder allows you to select an app that you want to allow to run in the background. Then when you press home, that app will keep running. Perfect for an IRC app or such that you do not want to get disconnected everytime you tap the home key. This adds critical functionality that you cannot get unless you jailbreak!

Unlocking

The only way to unlock your iPhone and put it onto another carrier is by jailbreaking it. The unlocking apps will require system level patching and activation all of which can only be done via jailbreaking. Note also that you need not unlock to jailbreak. They are two separate things. The software unlock for 3G iPhone is now available. For more details, read the unlock section on iPhone Campus.